12/09/2025
I need your help. A crisis is heading our way if we don't address this now, the ones who will pay the price are the veterans and families who need us most. Service dogs save lives!
The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program (WWSDP) has supported organizations across the United States since 2015, helping get highly trained service dogs into the hands of veterans who need them most. These dogs reduce su***de risk, support daily living, and help veterans rebuild a new normal, especially in rural and frontier rural communities. In 2021, Congress formally established WWSDP as a DoD program of record under Pub. L. No. 116-283, § 745 (2021).
Today, DoD Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program Award Recipients are sounding the alarm because the future of this federally recognized program is at risk.
Without fixing FY25 and securing FY26, WWSDP will run out of funding in 2025.
This would leave 28 organizations in 23 states, and the veterans they serve in all 50 states, without the support Congress intended when it created this program.
This is not hypothetical. It is already unfolding.
What happened in FY25 (the crisis we’re already in):
• FY25 passed with no dedicated line item for WWSDP.
• There is zero new FY25 funding, despite WWSDP being a DoD responsibility under federal law.
• All providers are operating only on leftover FY24 funds, which expire Dec 31, 2025.
• This creates a funding cliff that will force:
– Veteran waitlist freezes
– Halting of new placements
– Staff reductions and regional cutbacks
– Direct cuts to lifesaving services
Veterans in all 50 states will feel the impact.
Why FY25 must be fixed NOW:
• Even if FY26 funding passes, funds won’t flow for 9–12 months after enactment.
• Without FY25 dollars, organizations face a full-year funding gap many cannot survive.
• FY25 can only be fixed through:
– A reprogramming action, or
– A supplemental appropriations bill
(Both must align with Defense Health Program / Consolidated Health Support.)
What happened in FY26 (the next fight):
• The House included $17M for WWSDP.
• The Senate included nothing.
• Funding is not secured until both chambers agree in conference.
What Congress must do:
• Fix FY25 immediately.
• Adopt the House’s $17M for FY26.
• Reaffirm WWSDP as a DoD program of record under PL 116-283.
• Ensure continuous support for the wounded warriors this program was created to serve.
CALL TO ACTION
If you truly support veterans, su***de prevention, and military families, this is the moment to act.
Contact your Members of Congress. Share this post. Rally your networks.
Because at some point we must ask:
If we allow this program to fail, do we really support our veterans — or only when it's convenient?
